When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, it didn’t just obtain the rights to the Star Wars franchise; it obtained the rights to the Indiana Jones franchise, too. And where there’s money to be made, there are Disney execs figuring out how to make it.
Indiana Jones 5 has been on the cards ever since the Mouse House first acquired George Lucas’ company, but it’s been continuously marred by delays – despite Harrison Ford’s rapidly advancing age paired with the action-oriented nature of his character. Still, we’ve been promised that it is on the way. So, here are 5 Things That Have Been Confirmed About Indiana Jones 5 (And 5 Fan Theories).
Confirmed: Steven Spielberg is back in the director’s chair
If Disney ever tried to make an Indiana Jones movie without the involvement of Steven Spielberg, there would probably be riots. Spielberg took on the task of directing Raiders of the Lost Ark, which had been conceived by his friend George Lucas and suggested to him on a vacation the two were having, because he saw it as an opportunity to give America its own James Bond.
And it’s fair to say that he’s succeeded in that, making Indy one of the most iconic characters in film history. Fortunately, he’ll be helming Indiana Jones 5 after he finishes his upcoming remake of West Side Story.
Fan theory: An adult Short Round will make an appearance
Last year, Screen Rant pulled a little April Fools’ prank on its readers with the faux announcement that The Hangover trilogy’s Ken Jeong had been cast to play an adult Short Round in Indiana Jones 5. Obviously, as a prank, there’s no actual merit to this casting. But it would be interesting to see Short Round all grown up in the next Indiana Jones movie.
With Mutt Williams likely not appearing in the new sequel, the role of Indy’s sidekick will be left vacant. If Indiana Jones 5 does bring back an adult Short Round, the filmmakers should bring back the original actor, Jonathan Ke Quan. He’s since become a stunt performer, so he could take the bulk of the action from Harrison Ford.
Confirmed: George Lucas is executive-producing
It was initially reported that George Lucas, the creator of the Indiana Jones character and executive producer of all four movies, would not be involved in the new movie. However, this was later confirmed to be false when Steven Spielberg clarified that Lucas would be involved in the making of the fifth movie, in the same capacity that he’s been involved with all the others.
The director said that he “would be insane” to make an Indiana Jones movie without Lucas. With Lucas involved, hopefully, the fifth film will strive to make bolder, more original steps than Star Wars: The Force Awakens did without his creative guidance.
Fan theory: It’ll be set in the ‘60s
Each Indiana Jones movie to date has explored a different historical setting. The last movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was set in 1957 and it was released in 2008. When Indiana Jones 5 is released, if the movie’s timeline runs parallel with the real passage of time (which would make sense, to explain how much visibly older Harrison Ford will be), it’ll be set in the late ‘60s.
Whereas Indy has faced the Nazis during World War II and the Soviets during the Cold War in past movies, a ‘60s setting could use the context of American forces joining the Vietnam War for an interesting historical backdrop.
Confirmed: The fifth movie “won’t be just a one-off”
Disney boss Bob Iger has said that he’s unsure if Harrison Ford will continue to star in the Indiana Jones movies after the fifth one, but the studio plans to continue the franchise in some way past the fifth movie. Iger has been quoted saying that the new installment “won’t be just a one-off.”
This could mean that Ford will play a supporting role in future sequels as a sort of guiding mentor instead of a leading action hero, or he’ll be passing on the torch in the fifth one (despite having already done that to Shia LaBeouf’s massively unpopular character Mutt in the last one).
Fan theory: The story will adapt the Fate of Atlantis video game
Lucasfilm has been working closely with a number of screenwriters – including A Quiet Place’s Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and This is Us’ Dan Fogelman – to try and nail the story for the fifth Indiana Jones film, and they still haven’t been able to come up with something they’re happy with.
But the perfect story for an Indiana Jones movie has been right under their noses the whole time, in the form of the video game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. In the game, Indy searches for the lost city of Atlantis, while the Nazis seek to use its hidden power for warfare.
Confirmed: It’ll hit theaters on July 9, 2021
Although it was initially announced with a release date of July 10, 2020, Indiana Jones will be taking out his bullwhip and swinging back into multiplexes on July 9, 2021. The sequel’s release was delayed while a series of screenwriters struggled to crack the script and Steven Spielberg took on a different movie, a remake of West Side Story, in the meantime.
In that month, the movie will face competition from the third installment in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise, the seventh (yes, seventh!) Mission: Impossible movie – in which Tom Cruise aims to top his own ambitious stunt work yet again – and LeBron James’ belated sequel to Space Jam.
Fan theory: Mutt Williams will be killed off-screen
Mutt Williams was introduced as Indy’s replacement in Crystal Skull, with the plan being that Shia LaBeouf could replace Harrison Ford when he got too old. But fans really didn’t take to Mutt. He’s no replacement for Dr. Jones. So, the filmmakers will have to get rid of him somehow. They might even just reveal that he died off-screen.
Usually, if a character is killed off-screen between sequels, fans are furious. But this tends to be when the characters were popular, like Newt from Aliens. Killing Mutt off-screen might actually have the opposite effect. Indy fans will rejoice that we won’t be seeing Shia LaBeouf swinging around a CGI jungle with any CGI monkeys in the fifth movie.
Confirmed: Harrison Ford is playing Indiana Jones
Disney never misses an opportunity to make a buck. When the studio acquired the Indiana Jones franchise, it would’ve been easy to just reboot it with someone like Bradley Cooper or Chris Pratt in the title role. While it would’ve been controversial, such a reboot would be a guaranteed money-maker.
Fortunately, Disney is instead committed to making a true Indiana Jones movie. It’ll follow on from the last four movies with Harrison Ford in the role of Indy. Ford himself has said that he never wants anyone else to play the part because it’s his part. And to be fair, he’s absolutely right.
Fan theory: Indiana Jones will die at the end
Bob Iger has said that there’ll be more Indiana Jones movies after the fifth one, but he’s unsure if Harrison Ford will be in them. This makes sense because Ford isn’t getting any younger and action cinema requires a lot of physicality. But the only way to make an Indiana Jones movie without Indiana Jones would be if Indy is somehow written out of the story in the fifth film.
This could be achieved if he dies in the sequel, Iron Man-style, to secure the future of his co-stars. The death of Indiana Jones would be a truly heartbreaking moment if handled right (and in Spielberg’s hands, it probably would be handled right).
